Due to the difficulty in finding professionals who have sound-training in the technologies related to cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering, and who, at the same time, have a thorough grounding in the regulatory aspects concerning the development of these types of products as well as the necessary requirements to work in GMP laboratories, the Coordination Unit of the former Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies, currently, Andalusian Network for the design and translation of Advanced Therapies launched a training programme in the manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products in 2009. From 2010, thanks to the collaboration of the University of Granada, this programme attained “Master Degree” recognition and, since 2012 it has been offered in English with a focus on not only national but also international students.

The online course on Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), organized by the Andalusian Network for the design and translation of Advanced Therapies with the collaboration of Mr. Joaquim Vives Armengol, R&D Director in XCELIA- Blood and Tissue Bank (Barcelona), is aimed at professionals, technicians of laboratory (either biological, chemical, physicochemical, microbiological or clinical) or scientific research managers who wish to gain theoretical concepts of how an experimentation under this quality system is carried out.

The online course on “Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice, organized by the Coordination Unit of the Andalusian Network for the design and translation of Advanced Therapies with the collaboration of the Progress and Health Foundation, and the Cádiz Foundation, is intended for Healthcare professionals who participate, or want to participate, in clinical trials. This participation in clinical trials could be as principal researcher, collaborating researcher, healthcare professional - not doctors - who are involved in any position concerning the clinical trial, such as a sponsor or non-healthcare professional in charge of the management of clinical trials.

The online course of Good Distribution Practice of Medicinal Products for Human Use is aimed at professionals who wish to either participate or be in contact with the distribution of medicinal products chain: manufacturers, distributors, chemist’s shops. The main objective of this course is to provide participants with the adequate knowledge and training regarding the international and national guidelines for Good Distribution Practice (GDP) to ensure the security of the medicinal products within the supply chain (laboratory-distribution-chemist’s) and the adequacy to the current Regulation of all agents concerned.

Since 2008, the Regional Ministry of Health and Families has promoted mobility programmes comprising two years’ post-doctoral specialization abroad with their subsequent incorporation into some of the health and/or research centres working in this knowledge field.

Researchers accepted on these mobility programmes are selected through calls published on the Progress and Health Foundation website